Syria

Turkey army fires artillery into Syria

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Turkish army has fired artillery into the Syrian territory following an incident when a rocket from the Arab country hit a mosque in Turkey.

Turkish forces fired across the frontier into Syria on Monday, a day after a rocket from Syria slammed into a mosque in Turkey’s Hatay Province, wounding an elderly woman, Turkey’s Dogan News Agency said.

“In accordance with our new military engagement rules, our artillery units on the border fired into Syria in response,” Hatay officials said in a statement.

On March 26, Turkey also fired several rounds of artillery toward a border region that is part of Syria’s western province of Latakia.

On March 23, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey’s armed forces had shot down a Syrian jet after it crossed the border into Turkey airspace.

Erdogan congratulated the army for targeting the plane and warned of a heavy response if Syria violates the Turkish airspace again.

Syrian officials, however, rejected Turkey’s claim about the violation of its airspace and said the plane was inside the Syrian airspace when it was downed.

Turkey has been one of the most vocal supporters of the militants operating against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

On Monday, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said that the Turkish government is facilitating the entry of foreign militants into the Christian town of Kasab located in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Millions of people have been displaced due to the turmoil.

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